THE COMPLEAT GARDENER, or Directions for Cultivating and Right Ordering of FRUIT GARDENS and KITCHEN GARDENS; by LA QUINTINYE [LA QUINTINIE], Jean de.: - 1693

London, printed for Matthew Gillyflower, at the Spread Eagle in Westminster-Hall, and James Partridge, at the Posthouse at Charing-Cross, M DC XC III. [1693].. With Divers REFLECTIONS on several Parts of HUSBANDRY. In Six BOOKS. By the Famous Monsr. De La Quintinye, Chief director of all the GARDENS of the French-King. To which is added His Treatise of ORANGE-TREES, with the Raising of MELONS, omitted in the French Editions. Made English by JOHN EVELYN Esquire, illustrated with Copper Plates. FIRST EDITION 1693. Folio, approximately 320 x 195 mm, 12¾ x 7¾ inches, engraved portrait of author by W. Elder, plus 11 engraved plates, 2 are double page, 8 engraved head-pieces, showing various garden activities, 7 small text illustrations, title page printed red and black, engraved bookplate of Jacob Des Bouverie Esq., on verso title page, silk bookmark still present. pages: [44], 1-184, [4], 1-116, 137-204, [4], 1-4, 1-80, bound in contemporary calf covers and rebacked in a lighter colour leather, original endpapers retained. Old calf covers rubbed with shelf wear to edges, corners worn with board showing at tips, small pale stain at top of portrait and title page, pale staining to margins of portrait, hole to page 138 due to old ink spot with loss, affecting 4 words, small rust hole affecting 3 small words, all easily understood, occasional other small ink spots, pale browning to margins, age-browning to page 59-62 in the Reflections upon some Parts of Agriculture and 3 old ink corrections to text, (possibly by John Evelyn?), 2 leaves have tips of lower corners missing, nowhere near text, a few shallow creases in places, otherwise a very good copy. First (and only unabridged) English Edition, originally published in Paris in 1690. La Quintinie worked as gardener for Louis XIV. La Quintinie visited England, where he met John Evelyn and visited his garden at Sayes Court, " Monsieur de la Quintinye, being in England, that receiving the Honor of a visit from him at my house, and falling into discourse of Gardens, on my request sent me some directions concerning the Ordering of Melons". See: H. Frederic Janson, Pomonas Harvest, page 124 and following 2 illustrations; Blanche Henrey, British Botanical and Horticultural Literature, Volume 1, page 243; Rachel McMasters Miller Hunt, Catalogue of Botanical Books, page 406-407 No. 388; Geoffrey Keynes, John Evelyn, A Study in Bibliophily, pages 224-226; Stanley Johnston, The Cleveland Herbal, Botanical and Horticultural Collections, page 266, No. 293; Sandra Raphael, An Oak Spring POMONA, A Selection of the Rare Books on Fruit in the Oak Spring Garden Library, Volume 2, page 11; Mary Aslin Catalogue of the Printed Books on Agriculture, page 307; Philosophical Transactions 1669, pages 901-903, La Quintinye On Melons. MORE IMAGES ATTACHED TO THIS LISTING, ALL ZOOMABLE, FURTHER IMAGES ON REQUEST. POSTAGE AT COST.